BMX Culture in Seattle

I’ve been riding BMX in Seattle for about four years now, and have learned a lot from the sport, from cool tricks to principles and ideas that can help with life in general. Perseverance, patience and now, even how to run a business are a few examples.

After about two years of riding, I learned that there are actually different subcategories of BMX, depending on things like region, style and a number of other things. It may sound completely silly, considering that we all ride the same type of bike, but believe me, it’s actually a real phenomenon. The most prevalent group in the Northwest or “PNW” bike scene is primarily made up of people who have been riding for a really, really long time, sometimes since the beginning of the sport (around the mid 1980s).

Another interesting aspect of this group is that there are subcategories of subcategories. For instance, most of the older riders that I have met are primarily “bowl riders,” who mostly ride in the big, pool-shaped bowls that have become synonymous with the word skatepark. If you examine this discipline of the sport, you can see that its roots trace back to the 80’s and 90’s, when skateboarders and bike riders would simply empty out their backyard pools when in need of a spot to ride.

Another distinct subcategory of BMX is the street riders. Seattle has a fairly large group of street riders, but it’s pretty tiny compared to those of cities like Los Angeles or New York. Street riders tend to prefer the freedom of exploring and riding whatever interesting spots they come across, over the clearly defined obstacles of a skatepark. Street is one of the most well-known disciplines (especially among building security guards), because most brands, when producing videos to promote their team and/or products, prefer to show off their riders’ creativity by recording them doing insane tricks on obstacles that, well, really weren’t meant for it.

The sport of BMX can also teach you some important skills regarding business. I have recently started up a clothing and parts brand called SAVAGE Bike Co, or SBC for short, and it’s turning out . Running a business doesn’t always turn out to be a successful endeavor, but if there’s one important thing that this sport can teach you, it’s how to learn from your mistakes. If at first one of your business ideas doesn’t succeed, try, try again!